Liverpool and their striker’s curse

History is witness to the fact that strikers who leave Anfield are never the same

A little over a month and a half ago, Luis Suarez broke many hearts when he stated that he wanted a move away from Anfield, and England on the whole, because he felt he was becoming a target for the British media.

A couple of days ago, Mr Arsene Wenger – deciding he needed some “bite” in his attacking line – made a £30 million bid for Luis Suarez. The bid was rejected by Liverpool but what will encourage Arsenal fans is that while Suarez laughed off Chelsea’s interest in him, he was flattered by Arsenal’s – a sign that he wouldn’t mind joining the Gooners maybe?

While we love the drama during these transfer windows, we’d like to bring something to Mr Suarez’s attention: Whenever a proven striker leaves the Kop, for whatever reason, said striker has never been able to re-create the magic at another English club.

Robbie Fowler

Once referred to as “God” by Liverpool fans, the striker who was famed for being one of the Spice Boys of football went on a downward spiral after his departure from Merseyside.

Fowler was not the one to force the move, but his tiff with then manager Gérard Houllier and the fact that he was losing his starting spot to Michael Owen and Emile Heskey forced him out of the club. The striker, who scored 120 goals for Liverpool during his time with them, only managed 66 more in the remainder of his pro career.

He returned to Liverpool for a second stint, but the curse stuck.

Michael Owen

The best young player of his generation – in a side that included Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Robbie Fowler – Owen was destined for greatness. Part of the squad that became the first English club to win five trophies in one calendar year, Owen also added the Ballon d’Or to his accolades in 2001.

It was his performances during that year that made Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez sit up and take notice, but Houllier scoffed at Perez’s advances famously saying, “They might be able to afford Ronaldo but they cannot afford Michael Owen. Not even his left leg.”

Then in the 2003-2004 season, after Houllier was sacked, rumours about Liverpool’s golden boy’s departure made the rounds. The rumours heightened when Owen sat on the bench at a Champions League game so that he would not be cup-tied should he move on – an act that did not sit well with the fans.

Owen moved to Real Madrid in August 2004 and was shipped off from the Spanish capital the following year. Irrespective of his performances, Owen could never find the form that made him the top scorer for Liverpool during his time with them.

Fernando Torres

No Liverpool fan will ever forgive Fernando Torres, much like no Arsenal fan will ever forgive Van Persie. Joining from his boyhood club Atletico Madird in 2007, Torres took the Premier League by storm scoring 30+ goals in his debut season and enjoying a cult status among the fans during his three-and-a-half-year stint with the club.

However, during the 2010 season of the Premier League Torres was forced to warm the benches due to his injury, and his lack of form reduced him to watching from the sidelines as his national side grabbed the 2010 World Cup. Even so, Liverpool never gave up on their favourite Spaniard, cheering him all the way.

The Anfield faithful had to swallow a bitter pill come January 2011 when Liverpool’s official site confirmed that Torres would be moving to rivals Chelsea. Nevertheless, ever since that controversial transfer Torres lost his mesmerizing goal-scoring ability that labeled him world-class during the time he was at Liverpool.